U.S. aid for West Coast warning system hard to get

WASHINGTON - A group of congressional Democrats on the West Coast hopes that recent temblors in southern California jolt Washington into funding an earthquake-warning system.

WASHINGTON — A group of congressional Democrats on the West Coast hopes that recent temblors in southern California jolt Washington into funding an earthquake-warning system.

The lawmakers seek

$38.3 million to build the system on the West Coast and $16.1 million a year to maintain it.

“Even a few seconds of warning before the next Big One will allow people to seek cover, automatically slow or stop trains, pause surgeries and more. And the benefits of this small investment now will be paid back many times over after the first damaging quake,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

But securing the funding could be difficult at a time when congressional Republicans are determined to slash spending in Washington.

No California Republican signed a letter circulated by Schiff’s office asking the House Appropriations interior subcommittee for $16.1 million next year. The letter was signed by Democrats from California, Oregon and Washington state.

Efforts to secure money also could face resistance from lawmakers from outside California unwilling to spend money on what they view as largely a California problem.

The issue could become one of the first tests of California’s clout since Rep. Ken Calvert’s recent ascension to the chairmanship of the interior subcommittee, which oversees funding for the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake programs.

Calvert, a Republican, said he would consider the funding if he could be convinced that the warning system works.

“Sometimes we fund things, and we found out later that it doesn’t work,” he said.

William Leith, senior science adviser for earthquake and geologic hazards at the Geological Survey, noted that the system is used in Japan and Mexico City. “This is a proven technology,” he said.